Territory



PATENTED PEB. 2, 1904.

LI. MATTHEWS. GAME BOARD 0R TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, ,1*903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented February 2, 1904.

PATENT` OFFICE.

JAMES FILLMORE `MATTHEWS, OF ELRENO, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY, AS-

SIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY S. PARKER, OF E LRENO, OKLAHOMA.

TERRITORY.

GAME BOARD OR TABLE SPECIFICATION formng'part of Letters Patent No. '7 51,189, dated February 2, 1904.

Application led July 20, 1903. Serial No. 166,250. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JAMES FILLMORE MAT- THEWS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Elreno, in the county of Canadian and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Game Boards or Tables, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to game boards or tables, and more especially to that type provided with pockets to receive balls driven directly or indirectly through the mediumof cues; and my object is to produce a board or table of this character provided with several cues arranged in such manner that their sphere of action is the entire board or table in order that a player may be enabled to drive his cueball along the contiguous cushions or at any point between said cushions.

IITith this general object in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as

Yhereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in whichn Figure l is a top plan View of a game board or table embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line II II of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line III III of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a section similar to that shown by Fig. 3, but showing a cue of a slightly-modified construction.

Before proceeding with the detail description of the invention it is desired to state that this board or table is designed, primarily, for the purpose of playing pool or crokinole, but that it may be used in playing numerous other games not necessary to mention herein.

Referring to the drawings in detail, l designates a board or table which preferably has four sides disposed relatively in the form ofV a rectangle and provided near each of said sides with one or more grooves or channels 2 1n its upper slde. Midway of such sides and slightly inward of said grooves or channels by preference the board or table is provided with pockets 8 and near its corners with vertical holes 4, enlarged by counterboring, as at 5, at the underside of the board or table. The board or table is by preference covered in the usual manner with cloth or felt, as at 6, to provide a proper bed, and with oppositelydisposed and parallel rails 7, these rails terminating at opposite sides of the holes 4 and having their inner sides sloping upwardly and inwardly in amanner corresponding to that of a pool or billiard table. About midway their length by preference each rail is provided with a substantially semicircular portion 8, which portions almost completely surround the pockets?) and leave openings 9, forming gateways or entrances to the pockets from the field of the board or table. The spaces left between the contiguous ends of the rails, where occur the holes 4, are bridged inward of said holes by pieces l0, .these corner-pieces being secured at their opposite ends by preferenceA in recesses l1, formed in the upper sides of the rails. The inner edges of the bridge pieces are preferably concaved, as shown, and in their outer edges are formed notches 12, through which upwardly project swivel-posts 13, these s'wiveled posts being mounted upon the board or table and provided with central vertically-depending cylindrical stems 14, journaled in holes 4, but not projecting clear through the latter. The posts are Yadapted to be turned and are retained in position and against accidental rotation by the washers 15, preferably of leather, occupying the counterbore enlargements 5, and the screws 16 extending up through said washers and into the stems. By turning the screws full home or withdrawing them slightly the friction between the posts and the bores or passages can be increased or diminished, as will be readily understood. The posts are provided with diametric holes 17, having their upper sides in about the same horizontal plane as the lower sides of the bridge-pieces, and reciprocally engaging said holes 17 are cues 18, enlarged, as at 19, to form shoulders to limit the inward movement of the cues, the outer ends of the latter being preferably enlarged to form handles 20, by which the cues may be conveniently manipulated. For automatically advancing the cues I may employ elastic bands 21, engaging grooves 22 in the posts and pins or hooks 23 in the cue-handles, so that when the cues are withdrawn the bands will be stretched, so as to effect the automatic readvance of the cues when released. For the use of children, who when left to advance the cues would frequently force them forward so hard as to drive the balls or their equivalent from the table, I prefer to equip the cues with means for limiting the speed, and therefore the force of such advance. In carrying out this construction I enlarge the passage 17 centrally, as at 17 L, in each post to receive a coilspring 24 upon the cue, this enlargement of the passage forming a shoulder 25, against which said spring bears. I also equip each cue with a rigid collar 26 to bear against the opposite end of the spring in order that when the cue is grasped and withdrawn said spring' shall be compressed and in condition to advance the cue at the instant it is released.

The curved lines 27 upon the board or table indicate the limit of the advance movement of the cues and also serve as the point upon which the cue-ball is adapted to be placed, as indicated in Fig. 1, where it will be noticed that one of the cues occupies the position to which it is withdrawn preliminary to the making of a shot, it being understood that, by reason of the fact that the cue is swiveled, the shot can bc made in any direction between the contiguous rails 5. In other words, the cueball may be driven directly along and parallel with either of said rails or across the board or table between the two in any direction. In

ordinary pool the player disposes himself andv cue to accommodate the direction in which he desires to drive the ball, whereas with this board or table the ball must be placed to accommodate the cuethat is to say, may be placed at any point on the dead-line 27 and the cue swung around, so as to drive the ball in the desired direction.

IVhen one cue of this board or table is to be operated, the others are thrown to inoperative position-that is to say, are swung around until the forward ends vof the cues enter recesses 28 in the inner sides of the rails 7, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, the first-named figure being broken away to show certain of these recesses. Vhen occupying this position, it is impossible for either the cue-ball or any other ball upon the board or table to strike the end of an opponents cue. rIhe reason why a ball cannot strike the cue is because the upward and inward slope of the inner side of the rail is such that the ball at a point above its center strikes said rail without coming in contact with the cue, and this is true even though the cue is not completely buried in the recess. ball driven directly into one of the corners of the board or table strikes the concaved edge of the bridge-piece, which forms practically a continuation of the rails, as will be readily understood.

In playing the game the balls are disposed upon the board or table in any desired manner and after being pocketed are removed and placed in the grooves or channels 2 contiguous to the player who pocketed them, these grooves or channels thus serving the purpose of an ordinary ball-rack.

It is to be understood, of course, that the boards or tables may be of any desired size and may be equipped with any desired number of cues or pockets and that in other respects it may be modied without departing from the principle and scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A game board or table, provided with rails and one or more pockets, a swiveled post mounted on the board or table, and acue carried reciprocally by said swiveledv post; said rails being provided with recesses in which the end of the cue is seated to be out of interference with themoving cue-ball and object-balls.

2. A game board or table, provided with rails and one or more pockets, a swiveled post mounted on the board or table, a cue carried reciprocally by said swiveled post; said rails being provided with recesses in which the end of the cue is seated to be out of interference with the moving cue-ball and object-balls, and means to advance the cue with a yielding pressure.

3. A game board or table, provided with one or more pockets, and with rails which extend at an angle to and terminate short of each other, and have a gateway or gateways leading to said pocket or pockets, and recesses in their inner sides, bridge -pieces connecting the contiguous ends of the rails above said recesses, and cues having swivel as well as the ,usual reciprocatory movement and projecting into the field of the board between the contiguous rails under said bridge pieces and adapted to have their front ends seated in said recesses to be out of interference with the moving cue-ball or object-balls.

4. A game board or table provided with one or more pockets, and with rails which extend at an angle to and terminate short of each other, and have a gateway or gateways leading to said pocket or pockets, and recesses in their inner sides, bridge-pieces connecting the contiguous ends of the rails above said re-V cesses, cues having swivel as well as the usual re- IOO IIO

In testimonyT whereof I aix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES ILLMORE MATTHEWS.

Witnesses:

H. T. SMITH, OTTO A. SHU'LTER.V 

